A look at Harvard's future arts landscape. Says Radcliffe Dean Cohen: “In 10 years, I would hope to see a Harvard campus that is very stimulating aesthetically and reminds us as we move through it that our campus is a canvas that should reflect the same brilliance and creativity that we find in the University’s museums, libraries, and classrooms.”

Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, is among a select group of 50 artists and scholars who will be spending the 2014-15 academic year at the Radcliffe Institute. As the Mildred Londa Weisman Fellow, Ramirez-Ruiz will pursue his research in theoretical astrophysics while part of a vibrant multidisciplinary community.

Globe columnist describes his day in Cambridge that began at an academic conference on cities at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute and ended well into the night at a burlesque show called "Strip Zeppelin'' held at Oberon. The writer highlights the role that institutions like universities can play in giving shape to creative inspirations.